I had another appointment today and I am still at 2 cm; the same as last week. That was a bit discouraging to me since I've had a lot of contractions since then, but I knew it was a possibility. (Although I had a dream last night that I went to my appointment and was at 9 cm - now that would have been interesting!) I asked the doctor to strip my membranes, which she did, so I'm hoping maybe that will lead to me going into labor naturally. (Here's an explanation if you don't know what that is and want to know...forgive me if it's TMI.) She didn't seem particularly optimistic, but apparently it has worked for several of my friends. I really hope Arthur arrives on his own in the next few days.
BUT, if he doesn't, I am scheduled to go in for an induction on Monday night. Is this medically necessary? No, not really. Did my OB push for it? Again, not really, though she is definitely supportive. We're also not doing it because we're worried that Arthur is too big or because it's convenient for scheduling somebody to be with Eleanor. Hunter and I had a long talk last night and we decided to ask for it because we are scared.
We are scared of losing another baby, and the risk of stillbirth increases in the last few weeks of pregnancy. I have lost count of the number of times in the past few weeks that I've woken up in the middle of the night and started panicking because Arthur wasn't kicking me right that second. I change positions, poke him some, and start letting my thoughts run wild until he finally kicks me and I relax. Hunter asks me several times a day if I've felt him kicking lately, so I know he's right there with me. We have both recently heard several stories about babies being lost late in the third trimester due to placenta problems (which apparently is what happened with Ada, though much earlier) or cord accidents. Are we really at risk of these things happening in the next week or two with Arthur? Probably not. But we've been there before, and are just ready to hold a live, healthy baby in our arms.
The good news about the induction is that there's a chance I won't even have to have pitocin. With Eleanor I got Cervadil the night before, and by 4:30 AM my water broke and I started having contractions on my own. The pitocin started at 6:30 AM, and I went from 2cm to 8cm in the next 2 hours. Eleanor was born at 9:30 AM. I talked to my OB about it and she said that there's a good chance the Cervadil will be all that I need. So, if I do end up being induced, I'm at least hoping for that!
3 comments:
Beth, thanks for sharing your reasons for an induction. I feel like a lot of the conversations around childbirth (and mothering, for that matter!)are about the "right" way to do things, and neglect how personal those decisions are.
It definitely sounds as though you have thought through not only your decision, but the reasoning behind it. Kudos! I think it's so important for us to acknowledge our fears- that takes away some of their power.
I bet you won't even need that induction- but even if you do, I like your thinking about avoiding the pit. And even if you need the pit for a while, they can turn it off once you have a good labor pattern. No need to put that extra stress on mama and baby.
Will be thinking about and praying for you guys!
I don't think you have to explain why you would want an induction, especially since you're so close to your due date! It's not like you want an induction because you're trying to plan a vacation or something...
I hope he comes sometime this weekend on his own but know that I will be stalking you on Monday/Tuesday for updates! Yay, he's almost here!
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